During subterranean drilling and completion operations, a pipe or other conduit is lowered into a borehole in an earth formation during or after drilling operations. Such pipes are generally configured as multiple pipe segments to form a “string”, such as a drill string or production string. As the string is lowered into the borehole, additional pipe segments are coupled to the string by various connecting mechanisms, such as threaded connections.
Various power and/or communication signals may be transmitted through the pipe segments via a “wired pipe” configuration. Such configurations include electrical, optical or other conductors extending along the length of selected pipe segments. The conductors are operably connected between pipe segments by a variety of connecting configurations.
One such connecting configuration includes a threaded male-female configuration often referred to as a pin-box connection. The pin-box connection includes a male member, i.e., a “pin end” that includes an exterior threaded portion, and a female member, i.e., a “box end”, that includes an interior threaded portion and is configured to receive the pin in a threaded connection.
Some wired pipe configurations include a coupler mounted on the tip of the pin as well as in the box end. The coupler transmits power, data or both to an adjacent coupler. The coupler in the pin end is typically connected via a coaxial cable to a coupler in the box end.